What is eating my blackcurrant bush?

Sunnyday

I`ve noticed that some of the leaves have large pieces missing and that some of the flowers and the newly formed green berries are completely stripped from the stalks :eek:

I`ve been growing them for three years now and have never seen this before. There are no signs of slugs or snails and no eggs or anything on the leaves - just stripped stalks.

Does anyone have any idea?

We do get a few birdies on the garden but as the cat usually sits nearby the bushes i doubt that it will be the birds.

SD

[Deleted User]

Are they in pots?

if so then maybe vive weavils. Post a photo

Sunnyday

Hi Kittie,

they are in the ground not pots, i did take a couple of pictures earlier with the intention of posting them but the bluetooth on the pc seems to have given up the ghost. I`ll have a play around tomorrow and see if i can get it to work.

The eaten leaves are close to the bottom of the plants but the stripped berries are around2 feet up the plant or higher.

SD

madfrenchgirl

it's most probably caterpillars. i had the same last year... they're green and hide underneath the leaves. just use a bug spray on it.

Lotus-eater

The leaves will probably be gooseberry sawfly and the berries, a bird trying things out.

mountainviews

I was also thinking pigeons

Sunnyday

Hmm some interesting suggestions there!

We do get pigeons but they keep away from the house where the cat lurks, they`ve never pinched anything that wasn`t meant for them over the years, even the onions are untouched.

Hopefully these pictures will work ok.
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SD

Lotus-eater

I never said pigeons.

Sawfly caterpillars and a young blackbird probably.

Sunnyday

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I never said pigeons.

Sawfly caterpillars and a young blackbird probably.

Ah I should have quoted mountaindews post re the pigeons lol

I shall google sawfly as i don`t know anything about them - i suspect it will be something horrible

Thanks

SD

Lotus-eater

The good news is, that if you can't find any small green caterpillars, then you must be organic enough to have some sort of pest resistance network, ie something that eats the caterpillars.

Edit

Sawfly aren't that bad on currants ...usually... and if you don't see any more, you can forget about them.

Sunnyday

Lotus-eater wrote: »

The good news is, that if you can't find any small green caterpillars, then you must be organic enough to have some sort of pest resistance network, ie something that eats the caterpillars.

Edit

Sawfly aren't that bad on currants ...usually... and if you don't see any more, you can forget about them.

I can`t see anything at all on them despite several searches of the plants at different times of the day, i`ve never used any pesticides so hopefully as you said something is taking care of them naturally.

I`ve found some scary reading material so if it does get any worse i shall make up a solution of soapy water and spray the plants with that and then cross my fingers.

Thanks again.

SD